April 24, 2024 – Today, the award ceremony for the competition “My Place Yesterday and Today”, organised as part of the global GLOBE climate and carbon campaign, took place in Zagreb. The main aim of the competition was to explore the changes in the local environment through personal narratives and research projects.
A total of 11 projects were submitted by 10 schools from all over Croatia, including 6 primary schools and 4 secondary schools. In particular, works that skilfully portrayed the rich heritage and evolving landscape through captivating stories and illustrations attracted attention.
Under the auspices of the US Embassy, an expert committee made up of renowned professionals from the fields of ecology and education, including Dr Vladimir Kušan, a member of Oikon’s Management Board, took on the difficult task of selecting the most outstanding projects. The evaluation criteria included the relevance of the topic, the quality of the analysis, linguistic precision, stylistic excellence, and the skilful use of digital tools.
After careful evaluation and presentation, the committee selected the four most exemplary projects:
- “My place ‘Kopanec’ yesterday and today” – II Primary School Čakovec
- “My place yesterday and today – Rugvica” – Rugvica primary school
- “My place Zadar, yesterday and today” – Šime Budinić Primary School, Zadar
- “My place Ivanec, yesterday and today” – Izidor Poljak Višnjica primary school
The students and their mentors were honoured with GLOBE awards and prizes generously provided by partners: Oikon, the Biology Department of the Faculty of Science at Zagreb University and OPG Gorjansa.
You can view the students’ project exhibition here.
This competition is an important step towards raising young people’s awareness of the need to protect the environment and cultural heritage and emphasises the importance of cooperation between educational institutions and environmental protection experts.
The GLOBE programme, an international science and education initiative, encourages primary and secondary school students worldwide to actively measure and observe their environment. Launched in 1994 under the leadership of then US Vice President Al Gore, the programme is implemented in over 120 countries and overseen by a network of partners including NASA and NOAA. Participation in GLOBE enables students to apply theoretical knowledge in practise, develop skills and promote a positive attitude towards environmental protection. Croatia is the most successful country in the programme, with the contribution of over 13 million data entries. In Croatia, the Ministry of Science and Education is the responsible institution, with the Agency for Education overseeing the direct implementation.
